Urbanns Is Disrupting The Diatomaceous Earth Based Products Market

Diatomaceous Earth has tremendous benefits and one of the most safe and organic mineral on earth. The problem is that when a bed bug hits our homes or there is any other kind of pest infestation in the house, garden or pets we seek for immediate killing solutions and instant relief. We keep trying all chemical based solutions and products. We fail to understand that such infestations need treatments which need to eradicate the problem from the root. The time taken may be little longer but is much more sustainable and most important harmless to the environment and home. This is where URBANNS as a brand, wants to promote Diatomaceous Earth based products; one of the most effective natural mineral on earth.

Urbanns is the brain child of an ex journalist, instructional designer turned entrepreneur Pooja Jain Hansaria. Pooja is an Executive MBA from St Joseph College Bangalore. She is a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs program and has a background in Journalism with an experience of working at major publications in India. She has also worked in the eLearning industry as an Instructional Designer before taking a plunge into entrepreneurship.

After her daughter’s birth in 2008, with no courage to leave her in a day care, Pooja decided to launch an Indian Ethnic Wear retail outlet by the name STRITVA in 2009 in Bangalore. Running in its 8th year the store is popular for its unique designs and personalized selling.

As a strong believer of organic and natural products, URBANNS is trying to educate, promote and sell hundred per cent natural, organic and safe products for bed bugs, home pests, insects, pets and garden based on the natural mineral diatomaceous earth.

This was the year 2014 when Pooja’s family discovered bed bugs in their house. For two weeks they ignored the bites thinking it was mosquito bite. But one night it was visible to the naked eye and the nightmare began. The infestation was quite high and deep in the three bedroom apartment in Bangalore.

The family tried everything possible on the earth to get rid of bed bugs but to no avail. They were not even lucky to get some temporary relief from the high end treatments of the pest control agencies like many others facing the same problem do!

Sleepless nights and fear led to frantic Google search. We got to know about Diatomaceous Earth and its effects on exoskeletal pests like bed bugs. We thought like so many other products and services we are trying to get rid of the problem let’s give this too a shot.

The product not being available in India, Pooja’s brother-in-law who happened to live in USA ordered it and shipped it to them. After so many products used, Diatomaceous Earth was the only one which worked. There was no bug in the house after a month. The bites reduced drastically. It appeared as if some magic has happened.

“Being an ex-journalist and entrepreneur for past 8 years in Bangalore the idea hit me. There may be many others like us struggling with the problem of Bed Bugs and facing similar issues. Everybody cannot order it online abroad,” Pooja says.

Being an avid believer of Organic Products and Green Revolution taking place all over the country, URBANNS was launched in May 2015! The company currently specializes in Diatomaceous Based Products for Bed Bugs, Ticks and Fleas for Pests, Pet-Dewormer and Soil Conditioner; all products being hundred per cent natural, organic and safe. The key to using diatomaceous based products is that it gives slow but long lasting impact to the problem.

Urbanns has tied up with a research and scientific team in Bangalore to understand the mineral better and tested it on various pests, bugs, pets and plants. Since then there has been no looking back.

Urbanns’s Bed Bug Powder has received orders from naval ships, army cantonments, frequent business class travelers, well known hotels of India, hospitals to PG accommodations and households.

It is still a nascent concept in a country where pest control and other such things are looked at as something that should be ‘cured’ immediately using a chemical solution. Many people who buy Urbanns products for bed bugs expect it to work like any other chemical based instant kill solution. The startup have to then educate them that it is a slow, safe and sustainable solution rather than an instant one that is more harmful in the long run.

The Bed Bug Problem is so high in our country including top notch hospitals, but people do not talk about it because of fear. In that context, Urbanns have published an ebook on WAR ON BED BUGS. It is an in-depth ready reckoner for people who want to get rid of the problem permanently.

An engineer by education and an entrepreneur by choice. Asish is a TCS Best Student Awardee, NDTV featured student entrepreneur and International School of Entrepreneurship Education awardee. He also worked with many startups and big companies for their business development and strategical growth. Asish has been heading The Startup Journal since its inception in 2014.